Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies (3 ingredients)
These almond flour shortbread cookies are delightfully crispy and easy to make! They’re made with 3 healthier ingredients and taste rich and ‘buttery’ just like traditional shortbread cookies, but have a slightly nutty flavor profile. This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, paleo, keto and can be made oil-free.
Simple ingredients you’ll need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Notes about the ingredients
Almond flour (US) or blanched almond meal (Australia/UK) as the base of your cookies. It is high in natural fat which the shortbread taste rich and ‘buttery’.
Pure maple syrup binds the ingredients and sweetens this healthier shortbread! It also gives the cookies a beautiful golden hue.
Coconut butter (coconut manna), coconut oil, cacao butter or dairy-free butter. Coconut oil is pure fat whereas coconut butter is made from ground-up dried coconut. You can buy coconut butter from health food shops, South Asian shops or online. These cookies have a subtle coconut flavor, but if you want no coconut flavor, use one of the alternatives.
Alternatively, check out the ‘Ingredient Substitutions’ section later in this post. Even though these cookies are vegan and gluten-free, you don’t need any wheat flour, egg replacers, or even baking soda!
Preparing the cookie dough
One of the best parts of this recipe is how easy it is to make – simply add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix! You don’t even need an electric mixer!
Your final cookie dough should be a little crumblier than regular cookie dough. But, if you pinch some cookie dough between two fingers, it should ‘stick’ together. For this recipe, a crumblier dough results in crunchier cookies, whereas a stickier dough results in chewier cookies.
And yes, you can eat the dough straight from the bowl! Or check out my chickpea cookie dough recipe.
Shaping the shortbread cookies
To assemble the cookies, roll your dough on a piece of parchment paper or a silicone mat. If your dough is sticking to your work surface or rolling pin, sprinkle a little water or almond flour. Use a cookie cutter to cut circles out of your dough, and repeat with the remaining dough!
If you don’t have cookie cutters, you can slice and bake your cookies. Shape your dough into a tight log, and use a sharp knife to slice the log into cookies. If your dough is too soft, chill the dough for around 1 hour or until its firmer.
Alternatively, you can roll the dough into balls and flatten them with your hands!
Tips for baking
These almond flour shortbread cookies don’t spread much in the oven, which means you can bake more cookies on your baking sheet at once!
The cookies are usually ready at the 12-minute mark, but this will depend on how hot your oven runs. If you bake them for less time, they’ll have crispy edges and a slightly soft and chewy center. If you bake them for longer, they’ll be crispier throughout.
Please keep an eye on your cookies while they’re baking. The almond flour causes these cookies to brown quicker than regular cookies!
Customizing the shortbread
These almond flour shortbread cookies are a delicious everyday snack. But they’re also perfect for special occasions and the holiday season! Here are some ways you can elevate them:
- Add a pinch of salt, vanilla extract, almond extract or even lemon zest for depth of flavor
- Dip half of each shortbread in dark chocolate or white chocolate
- Cut the cookies into hearts and dip them in chocolate for some adorable Valentine’s Day cookies!
- For a festive touch, add chopped pistachios and dried cranberries to the dough like my Pistachio and Cranberry Vegan Christmas Cookies. Enjoy them as is or make Linzer cookies out of them!
These cookies are also a healthier alternative to sugar cookies! Make a frosting out of coconut butter (like Natalie’s recipe here) and decorate the cookies as desired.
Ingredient substitutions
Another nut-based flour may work, but I haven’t tested it.
I don’t recommend using coconut flour or all-purpose flour as they result in very dry cookies, even with modifications. Almond flour contains a lot of natural fat that can’t easily be replicated without drastically changing the recipe.
I’ve only tried these cookies with rice malt syrup and don’t recommend it as it makes the cookies VERY chewy!
Any granulated sugar will not work as these cookies need the stickiness of a liquid sweetener as a binder.
Many readers have successfully made these cookies with melted coconut oil (unrefined or refined), melted vegan butter and melted cacao butter. Please ensure your oil or butter has cooled down otherwise your cookie dough will be too soft. Your cookie dough will be more oily but your cookies will still bake wonderfully.
More vegan almond flour recipes
Or browse all of my vegan cookie recipes!
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Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies (3 ingredients)
Ingredients
Almond Flour Shortbread Cookies
- 2 cups (200g) almond flour / blanched almond meal
- ¼ cup (85g) maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons (50g) coconut butter, or coconut oil, melted and cooled (note 1 for alternatives)
To Decorate (optional)
- 1 cup (170g) roughly chopped vegan chocolate or chocolate chips
- Chopped pistachios and freeze dried raspberries
Instructions
- Note: For the best results, I recommend using an electric scale to weigh the ingredients for these cookies. Even 1 tablespoon (15-20g) of extra ingredients will change the texture of the cookies!
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Line 1-2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Preparing the almond shortbread cookies:
- Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix until combined. The mixture will be more crumbly than regular cookie dough, but the mixture should 'stick' together if you pinch some between two fingers.
- Press the cookie dough together so it forms a rough ball. (note 2)
- On a sheet of parchment paper or clean work surface, roll out the cookie dough so it's around 8mm (just over 1/4-inch) thick. Use a 5cm (2-inch) cookie cutter to cut circles out of the dough. Collect the remaining dough and repeat. (note 3 for alternative methods)
- Arrange the cookies on your prepared baking sheet with a little space between them. The cookies don't spread much in the oven.
- Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes or until the cookies are slightly golden brown. Less time for chewy and crispy cookies and more time for consistently crispy cookies. Allow the cookies to completely cool on the baking sheet.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days, in the fridge for 2 weeks or up to 2 months in the freezer.
To decorate (optional):
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat then remove.
- Dip half of each cookie in the melted chocolate and place on a lined baking sheet. While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle the pistachios and raspberries on top. Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature for 20 minutes. Enjoy or store as above!
Notes
- Alternatively, you may use melted vegan butter, cacao butter or coconut oil (use refined for no coconut flavor)!
- If your home is warm, your cookie dough may be a little soft. If so, place the dough in an airtight container or plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 15 minutes or until it’s firm enough to handle.
- Alternatively, shape your dough into a tight log that is about 5cm (2-inch) thick. If the dough is firm enough to slice, use a sharp knife to cut the log into 8mm (just over 1/4-inch) thick pieces. If the dough is very soft, chill it in the fridge for 1 hour or until it’s firmer.
This post was originally published in June 2016 and updated in July 2021 to simplify the recipe.
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Great recipe! Easy and quick. They came out just as I was hoping for; a light sort of “tea time” cookie. My take was adding snipped fresh rosemary and a sprinkle of course sea salt on top. I can see trying other flavors too; lemon zest, almond extract, etc. I used plant butter for a buttery taste. Thank you for putting this together! I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
Hi Arvis, I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies. Love that you added rosemary and sea salt – I’ll need to try that next time. I hope you enjoy any other flavor combo that you try and any other recipes from my site! Thanks so much 🙂
Very tasty, easy recipe, everyone loves it🙂thank you
Hi Kristina, that’s wonderful to hear!! Thanks for your feedback 🙂
Delicious and easy. I used coconut oil and the dough was a little oily but not too bad and could work it. In my oven they were done in 10 mins, quite brown on the outside and chewy within. Maybe I’ll use 170 for electric next time.
Hi Karen, I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies! I agree with you about using a slightly lower oven temperature next time (160 might work too) – it just shows that all ovens work differently! Thanks so much for letting me know and I hope you get to make the cookies again 🙂
Hi ☺️ I was just wondering if I could replace the almond flour with coconut flour ?
Thank you ☺️
Hi Laetitia! Unfortunately coconut flour won’t work as it’s too absorbent. Hope that helps!
How can I replace maple syrup so it can be fit for diabetics?
Hi Vânia, sorry I’m not an expert with food suitable for diabetics! The only other sweetener I’ve used is rice malt syrup, but it doesn’t work well in this cookies.